here is a disturbance in the city," she
answered, furiously; "but you shall answer to me for it, gentlemen of
the Parliament, you, your wives, and your children."

With further threats that the king would remember the cause of these
evils, when he reached his majority, the incensed woman flouted from the
chamber of audience, slamming the door violently behind her. To deal
with her, in her present mood, was evidently impracticable. The members
left the palace to return. They quickly found themselves surrounded by
an angry mob, furious at their non-success, disposed to hold them
responsible for the failure. On their arrival at the Rue St. Honore,
just as they were about to turn on to the Pont Neuf, a band of about two
hundred men advanced threateningly upon them, headed by a cook-shop lad,
armed with a halberd, which he thrust against M. Mole's body, crying,--

"Turn, traitor, and if thou wouldst not thyself be slain, give up to us
Broussel, or Mazarin and the chancellor as hostages."

Mole quietly put the weapon aside.

"You forget yourself," he said, with calm dignity, "and are oblivious of
the respect you owe to my office."

The mob, however, was past the point of paying respect to dignitaries.
They hustled the members, threatened the president with swords and
pistols, and several times tried to drag him into a private house. But
he resisted, and was aided by members and friends who surrounded him.
Slowly the parliamentary body made its way back to the Palais-Royal,
whither they had resolved to return, M. Mole preserving his dignity of
mien and movement, despite the "running fire of insults, threats,
execrations, and blasphemies," that arose from every side. They reached
the palace, at length, in diminished numbers, many of the members having
dropped out of the procession.

The whole court was assembled in the gallery. Mole spoke first. He was a
man of great natural eloquence, who was at his best as an orator when
surrounded by peril, and he depicted the situation so graphically that
all present, except the queen, were in terror. "Monsieur made as if he
would throw himself upon his knees before the queen, who remained
inflexible," says De Retz; "four or five princesses, who were trembling
with fear, did throw themselves at her feet; the queen of England, who
had come that day from St. Germain, represented that the troubles had
never been so serious at their commencement in England, nor the feelings
so heated or u